Police workforce
Published
- 1. Navigate toMain facts and figures section
- 2. Navigate toThings you need to know section
- 3. Navigate toBy ethnicity (police officers) section
- 4. Navigate toBy ethnicity over time (police officers) section
- 5. Navigate toBy ethnicity and area (police officers) section
- 6. Navigate toBy ethnicity and rank over time (police officers) section
- 7. Navigate toBy ethnicity and gender over time (police officers) section
- 8. Navigate toBy ethnicity and role (whole workforce) section
- 9. Navigate toBy ethnicity (special constables only) section
- 10. Navigate toData sources section
- 11. Navigate toDownload the data section
1. Main facts and figures
-
at the end of March 2020, 92.7% of police officers were White and 7.3% were from Asian, Black, Mixed and Other ethnic backgrounds
-
4.3% of senior officers were from the Asian, Black, Mixed and Other ethnic groups combined, compared with 2.8% in 2007
-
between 2007 and 2020, the percentage of police officers from every ethnic minority group went up – the biggest increase was for Asian police officers (from 1.5 to 3.1%)
-
at the time of the 2011 Census, 86.0% of people in England and Wales were White and 14.0% were from other ethnic groups
2. Things you need to know
What the data measures
The data shows the number and percentage of people working for the police who come from different ethnic groups. It covers the 43 police forces in England and Wales, and the British Transport Police.
The data comes from a snapshot taken on 31 March every year.
Percentages are based on 'full-time equivalent' (FTE) staff numbers. For example, someone who works 2.5 days a week has an FTE of 0.5.
Percentages are rounded to 1 decimal place.
The figures on this page are based on Home Office police workforce data – this is where you can find the first release and most up-to-date data.
Not included in the data
The data does not include staff whose ethnicity was not known. In 2020, this was:
- 2.6% of police officers
- 3.4% of the total police workforce
- 8.2% of special constables
The ethnic groups used in the data
Police officers and staff in England and Wales report their own ethnicity based on the following 5 aggregated ethnic groups:
- Asian
- Black
- Mixed
- White
- Other ethnic group (including Chinese)
Methodology
Read the detailed methodology document (PDF opens in a new window or tab) for this data.
Population estimates come from the 2011 Census. You can read more about how we use Census data.
3. By ethnicity (police officers)
Ethnicity | % of police officers | % of population | Number of police officers (FTE) |
---|---|---|---|
Asian | 3.1 | 6.8 | 3,884 |
Black | 1.3 | 3.3 | 1,586 |
Mixed | 2.2 | 2.2 | 2,711 |
White | 92.7 | 86.0 | 116,536 |
Other including Chinese | 0.8 | 1.7 | 993 |
Unknown | N/A* | N/A* | 3,400 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity (police officers)’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity (police officers)’ (CSV)
Summary of Police workforce By ethnicity (police officers) Summary
The data shows that:
-
White people made up 92.7% of police officers at the end of March 2020, and 86.0% of the general population at the time of the 2011 Census
-
Asian people made up 3.1% of police officers, and 6.8% of the general population
-
people with Mixed ethnicity made up 2.2% of police officers, and 2.2% of the general population
-
Black people made up 1.3% of police officers, and 3.3% of the general population
-
people from the Other ethnic group made up 0.8% of police officers, and 1.7% of the general population
4. By ethnicity over time (police officers)
Asian | Black | Mixed | White | Other including Chinese | Unknown | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Time | Asian % of police officers | Asian Number of police officers (FTE) | Black % of police officers | Black Number of police officers (FTE) | Mixed % of police officers | Mixed Number of police officers (FTE) | White % of police officers | White Number of police officers (FTE) | Other inc Chinese % of police officers | Other inc Chinese Number of police officers (FTE) | Unknown % of police officers | Unknown Number of police officers (FTE) |
2007 | 1.5 | 2,111 | 1.0 | 1,350 | 1.0 | 1,419 | 96.1 | 134,372 | 0.5 | 632 | N/A* | 1,999 |
2008 | 1.6 | 2,231 | 1.0 | 1,371 | 1.1 | 1,525 | 95.9 | 134,000 | 0.5 | 656 | N/A* | 1,920 |
2009 | 1.7 | 2,472 | 1.0 | 1,427 | 1.2 | 1,699 | 95.6 | 135,651 | 0.5 | 689 | N/A* | 1,839 |
2010 | 1.8 | 2,607 | 1.0 | 1,446 | 1.3 | 1,844 | 95.3 | 135,293 | 0.5 | 745 | N/A* | 1,799 |
2011 | 1.9 | 2,582 | 1.0 | 1,442 | 1.3 | 1,838 | 95.2 | 130,870 | 0.5 | 754 | N/A* | 1,625 |
2012 | 2.0 | 2,607 | 1.1 | 1,420 | 1.4 | 1,871 | 95.0 | 125,579 | 0.6 | 766 | N/A* | 1,858 |
2013 | 2.0 | 2,563 | 1.1 | 1,361 | 1.5 | 1,865 | 94.9 | 121,086 | 0.6 | 749 | N/A* | 1,961 |
2014 | 2.1 | 2,665 | 1.1 | 1,352 | 1.5 | 1,922 | 94.7 | 119,071 | 0.6 | 776 | N/A* | 2,124 |
2015 | 2.2 | 2,795 | 1.1 | 1,373 | 1.6 | 2,028 | 94.4 | 117,757 | 0.6 | 785 | N/A* | 2,079 |
2016 | 2.4 | 2,881 | 1.2 | 1,433 | 1.7 | 2,096 | 94.1 | 114,437 | 0.7 | 808 | N/A* | 2,411 |
2017 | 2.6 | 3,104 | 1.2 | 1,432 | 1.8 | 2,185 | 93.7 | 112,953 | 0.7 | 841 | N/A* | 2,616 |
2018 | 2.7 | 3,266 | 1.2 | 1,424 | 1.9 | 2,309 | 93.4 | 111,506 | 0.7 | 852 | N/A* | 3,048 |
2019 | 2.9 | 3,476 | 1.2 | 1,493 | 2.1 | 2,473 | 93.1 | 111,710 | 0.7 | 889 | N/A* | 3,148 |
2020 | 3.1 | 3,884 | 1.3 | 1,586 | 2.2 | 2,711 | 92.7 | 116,536 | 0.8 | 993 | N/A* | 3,400 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity over time (police officers)’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity over time (police officers)’ (CSV)
Summary of Police workforce By ethnicity over time (police officers) Summary
The data shows that:
-
between 2007 and 2020, the percentage of police officers from each of the Asian, Black, Mixed and Other ethnic groups went up
-
the biggest increase was in the Asian ethnic group, where the percentage of police officers went up from 1.5% to 3.1%
5. By ethnicity and area (police officers)
Asian | Black | Mixed | White | Other including Chinese | Unknown | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Geography | Asian % of police officers | Asian % population | Asian Number of police officers (FTE) | Black % of police officers | Black % population | Black Number of police officers (FTE) | Mixed % of police officers | Mixed % population | Mixed Number of police officers (FTE) | White % of police officers | White % population | White Number of police officers (FTE) | Other inc Chinese % of police officers | Other inc Chinese % population | Other inc Chinese Number of police officers (FTE) | Unknown % of police officers | Unknown % population | Unknown Number of police officers (FTE) |
All - excluding BTP | 3.1 | 6.8 | 3,884 | 1.3 | 3.3 | 1,586 | 2.2 | 2.2 | 2,711 | 92.7 | 86.0 | 116,536 | 0.8 | 1.7 | 993 | N/A* | N/A* | 3,400 |
Avon & Somerset | 0.4 | 2.1 | 10 | 0.4 | 1.9 | 11 | 2.4 | 1.8 | 63 | 96.5 | 93.3 | 2,489 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 7 | N/A* | N/A* | 224 |
Bedfordshire | 5.6 | 13.2 | 68 | 1.1 | 4.8 | 13 | 3.2 | 3.0 | 39 | 89.9 | 77.5 | 1,095 | 0.2 | 1.4 | 3 | N/A* | N/A* | 44 |
British Transport Police | 4.5 | N/A* | 129 | 2.4 | N/A* | 70 | 2.9 | N/A* | 82 | 89.8 | N/A* | 2,582 | 0.4 | N/A* | 12 | N/A* | N/A* | 90 |
Cambridgeshire | 1.4 | 4.9 | 21 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 13 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 31 | 95.4 | 90.3 | 1,456 | 0.4 | 1.6 | 6 | N/A* | N/A* | 19 |
Cheshire | 0.5 | 1.2 | 10 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 5 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 22 | 98.1 | 96.9 | 1,981 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 2 | N/A* | N/A* | 68 |
Cleveland | 1.5 | 3.1 | 20 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 0 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 7 | 97.8 | 94.5 | 1,273 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 2 | N/A* | N/A* | 23 |
Cumbria | 0.3 | 0.6 | 3 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 3 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 6 | 99.0 | 98.5 | 1,187 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0 | N/A* | N/A* | 22 |
Derbyshire | 2.2 | 3.6 | 40 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 4 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 21 | 96.3 | 93.3 | 1,765 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 3 | N/A* | N/A* | 17 |
Devon & Cornwall | 0.1 | 0.7 | 3 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 6 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 28 | 98.3 | 97.5 | 2,428 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 5 | N/A* | N/A* | 631 |
Dorset | 0.3 | 1.4 | 3 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 2 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 14 | 98.2 | 96.0 | 1,158 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 2 | N/A* | N/A* | 59 |
Durham | 0.4 | 0.8 | 5 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 1 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 12 | 98.3 | 97.8 | 1,120 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 1 | N/A* | N/A* | 2 |
Dyfed-Powys | 0.2 | 0.8 | 2 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 1 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 8 | 98.7 | 98.0 | 885 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 1 | N/A* | N/A* | 268 |
Essex | 0.6 | 2.3 | 18 | 0.2 | 2.0 | 5 | 2.1 | 1.6 | 68 | 96.8 | 93.2 | 3,138 | 0.4 | 0.9 | 14 | N/A* | N/A* | 56 |
Gloucestershire | 0.8 | 1.8 | 9 | 0.4 | 0.9 | 4 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 19 | 97.0 | 95.4 | 1,100 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 2 | N/A* | N/A* | 42 |
Greater Manchester | 4.9 | 9.2 | 332 | 0.9 | 2.8 | 63 | 2.2 | 2.3 | 150 | 91.4 | 83.8 | 6,232 | 0.6 | 2.0 | 43 | N/A* | N/A* | 46 |
Gwent | 0.8 | 1.7 | 10 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 5 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 10 | 97.8 | 96.1 | 1,245 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 3 | N/A* | N/A* | 38 |
Hampshire | 1.1 | 3.0 | 28 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 9 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 31 | 96.7 | 93.3 | 2,503 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 19 | N/A* | N/A* | 102 |
Hertfordshire | 1.7 | 5.7 | 36 | 0.7 | 2.8 | 15 | 2.2 | 2.5 | 46 | 95.2 | 87.6 | 1,961 | 0.1 | 1.4 | 3 | N/A* | N/A* | 26 |
Humberside | 0.8 | 1.3 | 16 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 8 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 11 | 98.2 | 96.5 | 1,920 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 0 | N/A* | N/A* | 11 |
Kent | 1.2 | 3.1 | 45 | 0.3 | 1.3 | 11 | 1.7 | 1.6 | 63 | 96.5 | 93.1 | 3,595 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 12 | N/A* | N/A* | 56 |
Lancashire | 2.6 | 7.4 | 74 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 3 | 1.9 | 1.1 | 54 | 95.3 | 90.4 | 2,722 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 5 | N/A* | N/A* | 142 |
Leicestershire | 5.1 | 15.3 | 97 | 0.7 | 2.4 | 14 | 2.3 | 2.0 | 45 | 91.8 | 78.4 | 1,755 | 0.1 | 1.9 | 2 | N/A* | N/A* | 66 |
Lincolnshire | 0.5 | 0.8 | 5 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 7 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 10 | 97.7 | 97.6 | 1,033 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 2 | N/A* | N/A* | 10 |
London, City of | 2.7 | 9.2 | 21 | 1.9 | 2.6 | 14 | 2.5 | 3.9 | 19 | 92.8 | 78.6 | 702 | 0.1 | 5.7 | 1 | N/A* | N/A* | 2 |
Merseyside | 0.4 | 1.4 | 16 | 0.5 | 1.1 | 19 | 2.0 | 1.5 | 73 | 96.5 | 94.5 | 3,454 | 0.4 | 1.6 | 16 | N/A* | N/A* | 51 |
Metropolitan Police | 6.1 | 17.0 | 1,916 | 3.5 | 13.3 | 1,112 | 3.6 | 5.0 | 1,139 | 84.5 | 59.8 | 26,742 | 2.3 | 5.0 | 732 | N/A* | N/A* | 558 |
Norfolk | 0.4 | 1.1 | 6 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 10 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 19 | 97.7 | 96.5 | 1,600 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 3 | N/A* | N/A* | 28 |
North Wales | 0.2 | 0.9 | 3 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 1 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 10 | 99.1 | 97.5 | 1,486 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 0 | N/A* | N/A* | 10 |
North Yorkshire | 0.8 | 1.2 | 12 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 3 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 16 | 97.7 | 96.6 | 1,435 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 3 | N/A* | N/A* | 12 |
Northamptonshire | 1.5 | 3.3 | 18 | 1.0 | 2.4 | 12 | 1.7 | 2.0 | 21 | 95.8 | 91.5 | 1,168 | 0.1 | 0.8 | 1 | N/A* | N/A* | 53 |
Northumbria | 0.9 | 2.7 | 27 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 2 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 33 | 97.8 | 94.6 | 2,951 | 0.2 | 1.3 | 5 | N/A* | N/A* | 137 |
Nottinghamshire | 2.6 | 4.4 | 53 | 0.9 | 2.5 | 18 | 2.0 | 2.8 | 40 | 94.3 | 88.8 | 1,927 | 0.2 | 1.4 | 5 | N/A* | N/A* | 29 |
South Wales | 0.8 | 2.8 | 25 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 6 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 39 | 97.4 | 93.4 | 2,910 | 0.3 | 1.5 | 9 | N/A* | N/A* | 24 |
South Yorkshire | 1.8 | 4.1 | 44 | 0.5 | 1.9 | 12 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 31 | 96.3 | 90.6 | 2,332 | 0.1 | 1.8 | 3 | N/A* | N/A* | 15 |
Staffordshire | 1.1 | 3.2 | 19 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 8 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 19 | 97.2 | 94.1 | 1,615 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 0 | N/A* | N/A* | 6 |
Suffolk | 0.6 | 1.5 | 7 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 3 | 2.3 | 1.7 | 28 | 96.7 | 95.2 | 1,156 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 2 | N/A* | N/A* | 24 |
Surrey | 1.5 | 4.8 | 28 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 11 | 2.3 | 2.1 | 41 | 95.1 | 90.4 | 1,739 | 0.5 | 1.7 | 9 | N/A* | N/A* | 100 |
Sussex | 0.5 | 2.5 | 14 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 8 | 1.6 | 1.9 | 41 | 97.1 | 93.7 | 2,441 | 0.4 | 1.0 | 11 | N/A* | N/A* | 203 |
Thames Valley | 1.9 | 8.5 | 81 | 0.5 | 3.0 | 20 | 2.2 | 2.5 | 95 | 94.9 | 84.6 | 4,046 | 0.5 | 1.4 | 20 | N/A* | N/A* | 48 |
Warwickshire | 3.3 | 4.2 | 34 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 2 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 12 | 94.8 | 92.7 | 965 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 5 | N/A* | N/A* | 17 |
West Mercia | 1.0 | 1.8 | 21 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 5 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 23 | 97.6 | 96.2 | 2,151 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 4 | N/A* | N/A* | 15 |
West Midlands | 7.4 | 18.0 | 475 | 1.4 | 6.0 | 93 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 163 | 88.4 | 70.1 | 5,702 | 0.2 | 2.3 | 14 | N/A* | N/A* | 69 |
West Yorkshire | 3.8 | 12.6 | 204 | 0.4 | 2.1 | 23 | 1.6 | 2.2 | 87 | 93.8 | 81.8 | 5,000 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 14 | N/A* | N/A* | 14 |
Wiltshire | 0.7 | 2.6 | 7 | 0.4 | 0.9 | 4 | 0.7 | 1.4 | 7 | 98.1 | 94.5 | 973 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 1 | N/A* | N/A* | 15 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity and area (police officers)’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity and area (police officers)’ (CSV)
Summary of Police workforce By ethnicity and area (police officers) Summary
The data shows that:
-
in 2020, the Metropolitan Police had the highest percentage of police officers from Asian, Black, Mixed and Other backgrounds combined (15.5%) out of all police forces
-
at the time of the 2011 Census, 40.2% of people in London were from Asian, Black, Mixed and Other ethnic backgrounds
-
in the West Midlands, 11.6% of police officers and 29.9% of the general population were from Asian, Black, Mixed and Other ethnic backgrounds
-
in Bedfordshire, 10.1% of police officers and 22.5% of the general population were from Asian, Black, Mixed and Other ethnic backgrounds
-
police forces in North Wales, Cumbria, and Dyfed-Powys had the smallest percentage of officers from Asian, Black, Mixed or Other backgrounds (at 0.9%, 1.0% and 1.3%).
6. By ethnicity and rank over time (police officers)
Asian | Black | Mixed | White | Other including Chinese | Unknown | |||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rank | Asian % 2007 | Asian Number 2007 | Asian % 2020 | Asian Number 2020 | Black % 2007 | Black Number 2007 | Black % 2020 | Black Number 2020 | Mixed % 2007 | Mixed Number 2007 | Mixed % 2020 | Mixed Number 2020 | White % 2007 | White Number 2007 | White % 2020 | White Number 2020 | Other inc Chinese % 2007 | Other inc Chinese Number 2007 | Other inc Chinese % 2020 | Other inc Chinese Number 2020 | Unknown % 2007 | Unknown Number 2007 | Unknown % 2020 | Unknown Number 2020 |
Chief Officer | 2.0 | 4 | 1.5 | 3 | 0.5 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 1.0 | 2 | 0.5 | 1 | 96.6 | 196 | 98.0 | 200 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | N/A* | 3 | N/A* | 27 |
Chief Superintendent | 1.3 | 6 | 2.0 | 6 | 0.6 | 3 | 1.3 | 4 | 0.6 | 3 | 2.3 | 7 | 97.2 | 456 | 94.1 | 285 | 0.2 | 1 | 0.3 | 1 | N/A* | 0 | N/A* | 12 |
Superintendent | 1.0 | 10 | 1.7 | 15 | 0.8 | 8 | 1.0 | 9 | 0.5 | 5 | 1.8 | 16 | 97.4 | 954 | 95.5 | 864 | 0.2 | 2 | 0.1 | 1 | N/A* | 8 | N/A* | 32 |
Chief Inspector | 1.0 | 18 | 1.8 | 31 | 0.5 | 10 | 0.7 | 12 | 1.2 | 22 | 1.5 | 25 | 97.2 | 1,778 | 95.8 | 1,623 | 0.1 | 2 | 0.2 | 3 | N/A* | 18 | N/A* | 38 |
Inspector | 1.0 | 72 | 2.3 | 128 | 0.5 | 36 | 0.7 | 38 | 0.7 | 49 | 1.6 | 91 | 97.5 | 6,790 | 95.0 | 5,253 | 0.2 | 16 | 0.4 | 21 | N/A* | 69 | N/A* | 123 |
Sergeant | 1.1 | 235 | 2.2 | 412 | 0.8 | 179 | 0.8 | 151 | 0.7 | 162 | 1.6 | 288 | 97.0 | 21,026 | 94.9 | 17,493 | 0.3 | 65 | 0.5 | 99 | N/A* | 283 | N/A* | 384 |
Constable | 1.6 | 1,766 | 3.3 | 3,289 | 1.0 | 1,113 | 1.4 | 1,373 | 1.1 | 1,176 | 2.3 | 2,283 | 95.7 | 103,172 | 92.1 | 90,818 | 0.5 | 546 | 0.9 | 868 | N/A* | 1,618 | N/A* | 2,785 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity and rank over time (police officers)’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity and rank over time (police officers)’ (CSV)
Summary of Police workforce By ethnicity and rank over time (police officers) Summary
‘Senior officers’ include Chief Officers, Chief Superintendents, Superintendents and Chief Inspectors.
The data shows that:
-
between 2007 and 2020, the percentage of constables who were from Asian, Black, Mixed and Other backgrounds went up from 4.3% to 7.9%
-
between 2007 and 2020, the percentage of inspectors who were from Asian, Black, Mixed and Other backgrounds doubled (from 2.5% to 5%)
-
at the end of March 2020, there was a higher percentage of constables from Asian, Black, Mixed and Other backgrounds (7.9%) compared with senior officers (4.3%)
7. By ethnicity and gender over time (police officers)
Female | Male | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ethnicity | Female % 2007 | Female Number 2007 | Female % 2020 | Female Number 2020 | Male % 2007 | Male Number 2007 | Male % 2020 | Male Number 2020 |
Asian | 1.2 | 402 | 2.08 | 818 | 1.6 | 1,709 | 3.55 | 3,065 |
Black | 1.1 | 359 | 1.17 | 462 | 0.9 | 991 | 1.30 | 1,124 |
Mixed | 1.2 | 393 | 2.03 | 801 | 1.0 | 1,026 | 2.21 | 1,910 |
White | 96.1 | 31,463 | 94.03 | 37,028 | 96.1 | 102,909 | 92.10 | 79,508 |
Other including Chinese | 0.4 | 130 | 0.69 | 271 | 0.5 | 502 | 0.84 | 723 |
Unknown | N/A* | 371 | N/A* | 940 | N/A* | 1,628 | N/A* | 2,461 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity and gender over time (police officers)’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity and gender over time (police officers)’ (CSV)
Summary of Police workforce By ethnicity and gender over time (police officers) Summary
The data shows that:
-
at the end of March 2020, there was a higher percentage of male police officers from Asian, Black, Mixed and Other backgrounds (7.9%) than female officers (6.0%)
-
between 2007 and 2020, the percentage of male police officers from Asian, Black, Mixed and Other ethnic backgrounds went up from 3.9% to 7.9% – the percentage for female officers went up from 3.9% to 6.0%
8. By ethnicity and role (whole workforce)
Police Officer | Police Staff | Community Support Officer | Designated Officer | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ethnicity | Police Officer % | Police Officer Number of staff (FTE) | Police Staff % | Police Staff Number of staff (FTE) | Community Support Officer % | Community Support Officer Number of staff (FTE) | Designated Officer % | Designated Officer Number of staff (FTE) |
Asian | 3.1 | 3,884 | 3.5 | 2,249 | 4.7 | 417 | 3.2 | 153 |
Black | 1.3 | 1,586 | 2.1 | 1,355 | 2.9 | 255 | 2.7 | 129 |
Mixed | 2.2 | 2,711 | 1.2 | 772 | 1.5 | 133 | 1.7 | 80 |
White | 92.7 | 116,536 | 92.5 | 59,264 | 89.7 | 8,024 | 91.7 | 4,399 |
Other including Chinese | 0.8 | 993 | 0.6 | 408 | 1.2 | 111 | 0.8 | 39 |
Unknown | N/A* | 3,400 | N/A* | 3,154 | N/A* | 240 | N/A* | 330 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity and role (whole workforce)’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity and role (whole workforce)’ (CSV)
Summary of Police workforce By ethnicity and role (whole workforce) Summary
The data shows that:
-
the percentage of people from Asian, Black, Mixed and Other backgrounds working as police officers (7.3%) was lower than for all other roles
-
10.3% of police community support officers were from Asian, Black, Mixed and Other backgrounds, the highest percentage out of all types of paid role
9. By ethnicity (special constables only)
Ethnicity | % of special constables | % of population | Number of special constables (Headcount) |
---|---|---|---|
Asian | 6.1 | 6.8 | 535 |
Black | 1.8 | 3.3 | 161 |
Mixed | 2.3 | 2.2 | 203 |
White | 88.2 | 86.0 | 7,748 |
Other including Chinese | 1.5 | 1.7 | 135 |
Unknown | N/A* | N/A* | 789 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity (special constables only)’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity (special constables only)’ (CSV)
Summary of Police workforce By ethnicity (special constables only) Summary
Special constables are unpaid volunteers and with no fixed hours. The figures count the total number of special constables regardless of whether they worked part-time or full-time.
The data shows that:
- 11.8% of special constables were from Asian, Black, Mixed and Other backgrounds, a higher percentage than for any other role
10. Data sources
Source
Police workforce, England and Wales, 31 March 2020
Type of data
Administrative data
Type of statistic
National Statistics
Publisher
Home Office
Publication frequency
Yearly
Purpose of data source
Ethnicity and gender data is used by police forces as part of diversity monitoring schemes.
11. Download the data
This file contains the following: measure, ethnicity, year, sex, police force area, role, value, population estimates
This file contains the following: measure, ethnicity, year, sex, police force area, role, value, population estimates
This file contains the following: measure, ethnicity, year, sex, police force area, role, value, population estimates
This file contains the following: measure, ethnicity, year, sex, police force area, role, value, population estimates